Design in Weird Places: Earthen Abodes

You can take the name of Earth House literally. The six-room home isn’t just buried underground; it’s actually made of soil excavated from the site. Rammed-earth walls divide the home’s interior spaces, and since they’re made of a white concrete/lime mixture, they will degrade as the house ages, giving Earth House a limited lifespan. In fact, BCHO designed the whole site to decay. Talk about an extreme take on sustainability.

Located south of Lima, near the Peruvian coast, the Pachacamac House disappears into the landscape, save for a prominent glass tower on what would be the ground floor. Two of the three levels are buried in the ground in an attempt to create a “strong sense of protection and appreciation of the dark and the light.” No surprise that such a thoughtful home belongs to two retired philosophers.

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Design Bureau delivers honest and inspirational global dialogue on design from diverse disciplines and points of view. It gathers people like you—creative professionals, style arbiters and industry leaders—and connects you with a like-minded community of design enthusiasts across the world with one common idea: discovering great design and the people who make it happen. Published in Chicago by ALARM Press.

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